


Worth It

by peridotlines



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Holtzbert Week, Roller Derby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-30 01:33:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11453223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peridotlines/pseuds/peridotlines
Summary: The Ghostbusters are recruited for a special bout featuring local celebrities. Patty and Abby are game for anything, Holtz is excited to relive her derby days, and Erin is certain she's about to make a fool of herself.





	Worth It

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holtzbert Week 2017!!!!
> 
> This is my first foray into Holtzbert fanfic, I hope it passes muster. *fidgets nervously*
> 
> A special thanks to my beta daphnedangerlove. I know I'm inflicting a lot of last-minute work on you this week, hopefully it will be worth it. Shazam!

“What the hell am I doing?” Erin skidded to a dead stop outside of the dilapidated warehouse. _There was no way she was going in there._

“Erin, come on!” Abby called to her from the doorway, waving her arm in an apparent effort to urge Erin forward.

She grimaced, trying to pick up her feet without success until she felt a familiar arm close around her waist for a moment, gently urging her forward and then an excited voice spoke into her ear. 

“This will be the time of your life.” Holtz’s grin was almost manic as she danced around Erin and ran towards the door.

Patty cast a rather sympathetic glance in Holtz’s direction and then held the door open for Erin.

“All kinds of crazy!” she said, shaking her head.

Erin winced as a cacophany of sound echoed through the arena, a combination of music, conversation, and the ever-present rhythm of skaters on the circular track. The skaters caught her eye and Erin froze as she took in their outfits, a combination of lingerie and athletic gear. She looked down at her own ensemble of comfortable jeans and a plaid shirt and considered running for the door. 

“Welcome to the first training night for the Hammering Harlot’s charity fundraiser,” a voice called out. “Tonight, we’ll be running through the basics and getting you all fitted for gear.

At this, the skaters left the track and joined them. Two seemed to be engaged in an intense discussion, and when one of them glanced in her direction, Erin realized she was the topic of conversation. One of them came to a stop and then looked uncertainly in Erin’s direction before giving the other an emphatic shake of the head. The other woman laughed and then gave her a playful shove, sending her skating in Erin’s direction.

“Hey, um, I guess I’m your escort for the evening?” she said, offering Erin her hand. “I’m Dany Rockett.”

“Nice to meet you,” Erin said, extending a hand. “I’m-“

“Dr. Erin Gilbert,” Dany finished. “I’m a bit of a fan.”

“Are you the one who set this up?” Erin asked.

Dany gave her a tentative shrug and nodded. “The entire squad loves you gals, but I’m the one who got things started.”

“Wow,” Erin said. “Thanks for letting us support such a great cause.”

She cast another glance around the staging area and noticed several squad members engaged in conversation with the other Ghostbusters. A few girls were laughing with Patty and the one who had shoved Dany earlier seemed to be wrapped up in a rather animated discussion with Abby. When Erin caught sight of Holtz, she was surprised to see her hanging back, watching them with an expression Erin couldn’t quite place.

Before Erin could check in with Holtz, a shrill whistle sounded from the track and everyone began scattering to their various stations.

“Come on, we’ll get you suited up and make sure you know what you’re doing with your skates.”

And they were off.

Erin felt like she was swept along some kind of conveyor, fitted for skates, padding, and a helmet, before joining the other Ghostbusters in front of what appeared to be a panel of judges who seemed to be debating what to call them. 

“I want something kick ass,” Patty said. “Show them I mean business.”

The group grinned and threw a couple of options around before Patty settled on something. Abby already had a name in mind, and Holtz had a previously registered name, which left choosing Erin’s name.

“I’ll take whatever you’ve got,” Erin said, bracing herself for something she wouldn’t like.

Holtz seemed to take this as a personal challenge, and began throwing out suggestions. “What about NitroglycErin?”

“I’m not the one who makes things go boom,” Erin said, shaking her head.

“WolvErin?” Holtz asked. “No, nevermind, that’s totally not you at all.”

“She’s the original ghost girl, maybe something with that?” Abby offered.

It took a couple tries, but eventually they settled on a name, and then it was time to head home.

Erin left lugging a duffel overflowing with gear and feeling more unsure of herself than ever. No one had questioned whether she could skate! None of that seemed to matter, not when it was all for a good cause and more about a having fun than actual ability. This free wheeling mentality felt foreign when compared with her penchant for preparedness and accounting for every possible scenario.

This was all Holtz’s fault. Promising everyone it would be a good time, and totally worthwhile. Every year, one of the local teams held a derby extravaganza to raise money for an LGBT youth center, and they always tried to get local female celebrities to participate in the bouts. According to Holtz, getting all 4 of the Ghostbusters was seen as a major score.

“Just wait until I get out on the track,” Erin had warned her. “I’m not sure they’ll be as excited then.”

“Everyone’s a rookie their first time out,” Holtz had said. “Hell, my first practice I’d tuned up my skates and went flying onto the track like nobody’s business, only to go shooting off from it a couple seconds later when I couldn’t figure out how to stop.”

“Not helping!” Abby had murmured, shaking her head.

“I’ll skate a few laps around the block with you,” Holtz had said. “Besides, I’ve seen how you move during busts, this should be a cake walk.”

Holtz had winked at Erin then, and she had realized this was a play on her competitive nature, one that absolutely worked. After considering how much it meant to Holtzmann, and the thought of what the publicity and the money could accomplish for the youth center Erin had decided any potential for embarrassment would be worth it in the end. 

 

It took a few days of persistence on Holtzmann’s part before she could convince Erin to actually test out her skates. Abby and Patty had taken to skating around the first floor in the afternoons, crashing into walls and each other, much to Kevin’s amusement, but Erin got heart palpitations everytime she looked at the skate bag.

Holtz finally resorted to begging when nothing else appeared to be working.

“Come on Er, please?” Holtz asked. “I promise, I’ll be right there, I’ll keep you on your feet.”

Erin hesitated, unable to push aside the mental image of the skates as some looming presence waiting to take her down.

“We could line your jumpsuit with bubble wrap,” Holtz said. “Or, fix up some training wheels.”

Erin shook her head, laughing at the mental images Holtz was offering to fashion for her. 

“As long as you’ll be there, I think I can handle it.”

An hour later, Erin was in her skates outside the firehouse, struggling to stay upright and trying to ignore the voice that seemed to be convinced she would make a complete fool of herself and Holtzmann, no matter what Holtz had planned.

Pushing off, Erin sailed away from the building, throwing her arms out to the side as she tried to find her balance. She pitched forward immediately, bracing herself for the fall. Instead, she found herself in Holtz’s arms. “Thanks,” Erin said.

A little thrill went through her body as Holtz held her up and Erin found herself wanting to melt into the stability and security of her arms. They remained still for a moment, and Erin glanced over at Holtz, waiting for the next move.

Holtz cleared her throat and shook her head before she created a little bit of space between them.

“First thing we need to focus on is your center of gravity,” Holtz rasped.

Erin’s head swam as Holtz made several adjustments to her form. Her hands moved with brisk efficiency, but Erin still found herself jumping slightly at each touch until Holtz had gotten her into position, nodding her satisfaction.

“We’ll go slow,” Holtz said, holding out her hand.

Erin took her hand without question, and they started down the thankfully level sidewalk leading to a park not far from their headquarters.

“Look who’s rocking the skates,” Holtz said, giving her a triumphant grin.

Erin scoffed at this and shook her head. “We haven’t even been at this five minutes.”

“So?” Holtz said, giving her a grin. “Doesn’t mean it’s not going well. You’ve got to remember, it’s the little things.”

After that, Holtz took her through the basics of stopping, turning, and even practicing falls, considering that was Erin’s biggest worry.

“You’ve got this Er,” Holtz said when they returned to the firehouse. “You’ll blow them all away.”

“Are you moonlighting as a cheerleader now?” Erin asked.

“Too much?” Holtz asked, giving her a careful nudge.

“At least I feel like I know what I’m doing now,” Erin said. “I’ll settle for that.”

“Mission accomplished,” Holtz said, giving her a salute.

 

In spite of a couple more skating sessions with Holtz, nerves got the better of Erin at their first training session. She found herself falling back on the bad habits Holtz had been working to curb and over-corrected after a sharp turn around a corner. Mentally preparing herself for a faceplant, Erin was relieved when someone was there to stop her from falling.

To Erin’s surprise, it wasn’t Holtz. Once Erin had gotten herself stabilized, she realized it was Dany, the skater from last week’s orientation.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to just grab you like that, but I would never forgive myself if you took a nosedive before you even got onto the track,” Dany said, giving her a smile.

“You’re fighting a losing battle,” Erin said, forcing out a laugh.

“Nah, give yourself a break,” Dany said. “It’s always awkward at first, trying something new.”

The woman skated backwards in front of her and shrugged her shoulders. “You think I could do this my first time out? I probably ended up on my ass more than most of the other girls combined.”

Erin smiled and tried to relax a little bit, moving tentatively on her skates and then following the other woman’s lead and looking around for the other Ghostbusters. Abby and Patty appeared to be sharing a story about their antics at the firehouse with the manager, while Holtz looked on. 

Just as Erin was about to turn away, Holtz caught her eye and winked before giving her a subtle salute. Erin warmed at the gesture and almost ran into Dany because she wasn’t paying attention to where they were going.

The rest of the evening consisted of drills and demonstrations with some of the more experienced players carrying out the various maneuvers they had described.

After a few warmup laps, they began going through a few plays they planned to favor over the course of the bout. 

When Erin’s first turn as part of the pack came up, Dany was at her side, giving her some encouragement and then pointers, followed by a high five when she managed to make it around the track without falling down.

Erin’s first big fall came when she wasn’t expecting it. She was finally getting the hang of making the turns in the midst of all the other bodies around her. A lot of the nervous energy had been burned off as the skaters had grown familiar with one another, and one of them threw a hit without thinking, leading to Erin flying towards the center of the track. She over-corrected and wound up dropping a second later. She lay still, blinking up at the ceiling for a moment before she tried to sit upright.

“Whoa Er, you okay?” Holtz was at her side in a second, supporting her back.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Erin said weakly, trying for a smile.

“Sorry Erin, I think someone forgot themselves,” Dany said, sending a scowl in the direction of the other skaters.

Then Dany was helping her to her feet and trying to hold her steady. “How are you feeling?”

Erin took a few calming breaths and then tried for a brighter smile. “Great, ready to get back out there.”

Holtz looked dubious at this comment. “Maybe you should-”

“Perfect, let’s go!” Dany said, pulling Erin back into the pack.

There were more spills, several in fact, but everyone made the experience so much fun, and Erin wasn’t the only person to fall, so she soon found she wasn’t nearly as self-conscious, not when she was having such a good time.

If Erin had thought Holtz was overdoing it on the cheerleading, that was nothing compared to Dany’s level of encouragement. She was at Erin’s side after every fall, brushing her off and getting Erin back on her feet with a few kind words or a self-deprecating joke to ease her anxiety. 

By the time practice was over, Erin knew she would be sore in the morning, but it was the kind of sore that would be worth it. She also realized that all of the busting had been paying off since she had managed to land a couple decent (if weak) hits towards the end of their time.

When it came time for them to pile into the Ecto-1 Dany stopped over and said goodbye, waving to everyone else before getting into her own car.

 

As soon as they pulled into the firehouse Abby and Patty headed into the kitchen to throw together a post-practice meal while Holtz and Erin took care of the gear. After a few moments of loaded silence Erin stood up from where she was stowing their duffels and cleared her throat.

“Holtz? Is something wrong?”

If there was one thing she had learned over the time she had taken to get to know one Jillian Holtzmann, it was that gentle, but direct questions tended to yield the most forthright answers. So, even though she wasn’t at all sure what kind of response she would be getting, she had to at least try.

“Looks like you made a new friend,” Holtz said.

Erin frowned at this comment, unsure where it had come from.

“Don’t you know Dany?” Erin asked. “She said she was the instigator of this little scheme, I figured you had already met, or at least talked.”

“Nah, one of the managers called,” Holtz said. 

“I could introduce you next time, if you’d like,” Erin said, trying for a playful tone. “But I didn’t really think you had any trouble in that department.”

This comment must have brought Holtzmann up short, because she seemed to pause and then consider her words carefully before answering.

“I’m pretty sure she’s already got her eye on someone.” 

Holtz’s gaze remained fixed on Erin’s face, and it took a moment before the words clicked into place in her head. Suddenly the room was too hot.

“Oh but- I- I mean, I didn’t-“

Holtz winked at her. 

“Shazam, got it in one!” 

Erin’s brain reeled. How hard had she hit her head earlier? 

“Anyone would.”

_But you haven’t._

The words hovered on the tip of Erin’s tongue, the fuse to a set of fireworks they had been dancing around for months. It was a dance made up of a delicate series of rituals. The casual exchange of coffee and pastries in the morning. The dibs Erin seemed to get on every safety-tested gadget Holtz had cooked up. The assumption that if the team had to pair off, they were together, always.

Before the conversation could move forward, Patty’s voice rang out from the kitchen.

“I hope y’all are planning on helping us and not hiding out in that lab of yours.”

The words hung in the air for a beat as Erin and Holtz gazed at each other, and then Holtz turned to head towards the kitchen.

 

Their next practice, Dany had skated up to Erin right away. They discussed a few details about the events before the bout which was coming up in a couple of days. The entire time, Erin felt like she was engaging in the conversation on two different levels, so much more aware of another set of signals she had missed the last time, something Holtz had clearly picked up on. Now she couldn’t help seeing it.

The devil on Erin’s shoulder whispered, “use this to push things forward with Holtz.” But the angel immediately chimed in “that’s unfair to all three of you, and you know it.”  
“Everything okay?” Dany asked.

Erin realized she must have gone quiet, and she shook her head in attempt to push aside the thoughts and refocus.

“Just anxious to get started,” she said, trying for a relaxed smile.

Practice went well. There were still a few mildly catastrophic falls, but everyone at least knew what they were doing at this point. They covered a few last-minute suggestions and then confirmed the final details before packing up for the night.

As Erin was rushing to join the rest of the group, she ran into Dany outside of the locker room.

“All set?” Dany asked.

Erin nodded and tried to give her a smile, while picking up on some nervous energy coming from the other woman.

“You up for a drink tonight? That last awesome hip check deserves to be celebrated,” Dany said, giving her a grin.

Erin considered the offer and was about to answer when Holtz appeared in the doorway.

“Holtz! I thought you were already in the car,” Erin said.

“On my way there now,” she said. “You up for some Chinese food? It’ll be great with that IPA Abby found.

Erin practically melted in relief at the suggestion, the image of the team floated into her mind, crammed onto the couches in their lounge, arguing over takeout containers while some terrible movie played on the TV.

Before Erin could stop herself, she wound an arm around Holtzmann’s waist, bringing her to a stop at her side.

“Dany, have you met Holtzmann? She’s our resident not-so-evil genius,” she said, punctuating the comment with a friendly squeeze.

Holtz blinked back at Erin for a moment before turning to Dany and extending a hand in greeting.

“Erin tells me you’re responsible for getting us on the track,” Holtz said. “Thanks for this, it’s been fun to relive some of my glory days.”

“Oh no, thank you,” Dany said, shaking Holtz’s hand. “A couple of us saw what you all did in Times Square, it was awesome.”

Erin grinned at the rather star-struck expression on Dany’s face, and then gave Holtz another soft squeeze.

“She really kicked ass and took names,” Erin said.

“And you didn’t?” Holtz asked. “I seem to recall you blowing two ghosts to smithereens, bing bang bam!”

Dany glanced between them for a moment, and Erin saw the slight droop in her shoulders, before she took a small step back.

“You guys probably want to rest up before the bout,” Dany said. “Maybe we can all go out together and celebrate after it’s over.”

“That would be great,” Erin said.

As they turned to walk to the car, Erin felt Holtz start to pull out of her reach both mentally and physically.

“What would you say to some takeout, just the two of us?” The words were out of her mouth before she considered the implications.

Holtz’s gaze fell on her, and Erin saw the truth for a moment before Holtz covered it up. Erin’s heart started racing.

“What is it?” Erin asked.

“It’s not you-“

“Please don’t-“

“Erin, I’m terrible at this,” Holtz said, gesturing in the air between them. “It’s ruined people, it’s ruined me. I couldn’t bear it if I did that to you.”

Erin forced herself to pause, taking a breath before she reached for one of Holtzmann’s hands, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“You need to give yourself more credit,” Erin said. “Look at everything you’ve already done for me.”

Erin waved her arm towards the warehouse behind them before holding up her bag for emphasis.

“I trust you. Whenever we’re out on a bust, I know you’ll have my back,” Erin said.

Holtz opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but Erin held up a hand.

“Just hear me out,” she said. “What I do know, is that I like you, and I’d like a chance to get to know you better, and see where things go.”

“What about…?” Holtz gestured towards where Dany had been standing.

“No” Erin said.

Holtz seemed torn as to how to answer, and she glanced at Erin helplessly.

“I hope you realize you deserve someone, even if it’s not me.” Erin released Holtz’s hand and took a step back. “Just, think it over, maybe we can talk about it after things get back to normal.”

 

The night of the bout arrived in chaos. There was a last-minute bust, which meant they had gotten to the arena at the last possible moment. Erin threw on her outfit, trying to ignore how exposed she felt in the lingerie, skimpy shorts, and fishnets, and allowed one of the other Harlots to do her makeup.

Just before they were about to head out to the track, Erin caught sight of Holtz. There had been a lot of unexpected elements throughout this experience, but none were more surprising than this. Another Harlot was helping Holtz with some eyeliner, they appeared to be engaged in a friendly conversation, giving Erin the chance to stare with abandon. The outfit that left Erin feeling all kinds of awkward seemed to suit Holtz like a second skin, highlighting the curves and muscles she usually kept hidden beneath her typical layers. Erin tried to will herself to look away, just in time for Holtz to turn and meet her gaze after a moment and she felt a charge pass between them.

The moment came to an end when a whistle sounded from the doorway. 

“Alright everyone, it’s hammer time!” Dany said.

A wave of cheers and laughter went up from the group and they began skating out of the locker room, more than ready to start.

The Ghostbusters skated onto the track to a friendly roar of applause from the crowd, each of them waving as they were introduced by their names for the night: Abigator, Gonna-Pound-Ya Patty, Ghost Hurl, and Jillian Dollar Baby. Erin knew they had were meant to have a good time, but her competitive spirit won out in the end and she was in with the best of them throwing hits and giving it her all every time she was on the track.

The first half flew by, and they were tied, something they had to credit to Holtz, considering her ability to sneak through as a jammer. She could see a few of the Harlots eying her up, and Erin anticipated Holtz being asked to join them in the future.

As the night had worn on, members of the opposing team had figured out Holtz was basically a ringer and all bets were off. After a near foul had Holtz sidelined before halftime, Erin had skated onto the track for the next jam and wasted no time knocking one of the blockers to the floor without a second thought.

The bout ended on a heartbreaking note, when Holtz was on her last time around. Dany was set up to try whipping her around when a blocker managed to check Holtz right into the railing, almost sending her over and into the crowd. The other team’s jammer collected the points and time ran out.

Erin skated out to where Holtz hung over the railing, realizing she was slower to recover from this hit.

“That looked like it hurt,” Erin said, helping Holtz upright.

“Good, because it did,” Holtz said.

They clung to the railing for a moment before glancing over to where the rest of the team was skating out.

“Need a hand?” Erin asked.

Holtz nodded, looping her arm around Erin’s waist and allowing Erin to hold her up as they followed the rest of the skaters out.

“You were awesome.” Erin nudged Holtz gently with her hip.

Surprisingly, Holtz blushed at the compliment.

“My avenging angel,” Holtz said. “I saw what you did to Exterminknitter after she took me out in the first half.”

“I was just looking out for you,” Erin said, trying for nonchalance.

A long moment passed between them as they stood outside the locker room, arms around each other, before Holtz pulled away.

Erin caught sight of her face and her stomach dropped. Erin was unsure what to make of Holtz’s suddenly serious expression but froze when it seemed as if she had something she wanted to say.

“Shazam,” she said softly, lifting her eyes to meet Erin’s.

Holtz skated closer and Erin allowed the motion to push her back against the wall of the alcove they were in as Holtz closed the space between them. Holtz paused then and her eyes searched Erin’s for some kind of confirmation.

“Yes,” Erin said, her voice barely a whisper.

Before Holtz could respond, the door to the locker room flew open and Abby shouted out to them, seemingly unphased.

“Would you two idiots get in here? They’re waiting!”

The door slammed shut behind Abby, leaving them staring at the door and then back at each other before Erin burst into a fit of nervous laughter. Her heart felt like it was about to beat right out of her chest as Holtz held her ground.

Erin brought a hand up to pull Holtz closer until she could feel Holtz’s breath on her lips, waiting for her to close the distance. 

The moment felt like it lasted a lifetime before Holtz brushed her lips against Erin’s in a gentle caress, followed by something firmer. Holtz clung to her for a moment, a breathing soft moan into Erin’s mouth before pulling back. They shared matching smiles and then glanced towards the locker room.

“Sounds like they’re waiting for us,” she said, nodding towards the door.

“I guess so,” Erin said, a little rueful at bringing the moment to a close.

Holtz held out a hand, and Erin took it gratefully, allowing Holtz to pull open the door. Holtz skated inside, while Erin peered anxiously behind her, only to be greeted by raucous cheers

There was a lot of shouting about this being their best charity bout ever and more than a few people insisted Holtz had a spot on the squad if she wanted it, just as Erin had suspected.

The celebratory drinks with the squad ended with the four ghostbusters crammed into a booth at one of their favorite haunts, Erin and Holtz pressed close together as they rehashed the experience.

“I didn’t know you had it in you,” Abby said, after mentioning a few of Erin’s highlights as a blocker.

“Me either,” Erin said, shaking her head.

“I never doubted you,” Holtz said, giving Erin a somber nod, followed by a wink.

Holtz punctuated the wink by giving a gentle squeeze to Erin’s hand under the table.

“So Holtzy, you gonna join the squad?” Patty asked.

Holtz shrugged and then glanced at Erin. “I’ve got better ways to get an adrenaline rush these days.”

“Busting is kind of a full-time job,” Abby said.

“I’m glad I could go back though,” Holtz said. “It was fun having you all with me.”

The other three women all nodded in agreement, before Erin raised her glass in a silent toast. After an exaggerated clinking of their glasses Patty slumped back into the booth.

“Those girls weren’t pulling any punches at the end there. I’m gonna be sore tomorrow,” Patty said. 

Erin glanced over at Holtz and smiled. “It was worth it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Comments? Please share them below, or you can find me on Twitter @peridotlines.
> 
> Thanks for reading, have an awesome day/week/year!


End file.
